Blue Chip Companies Entering the Cannabis Industry
Blue Chip Companies Entering the Cannabis Industry
The Times They Are a Changing. These famous lyrics by Bob Dylan were never more true than now, as we witness an evolution within and without the cannabis industry.
Until recently, even the ancillary sector of the cannabis world was too controversial for mainstream companies. It is apparent now, though, that as the legalization train moves forward, mainstream companies are jumping on-board. With alliances and product launches that would not have even been considered just a short time ago, some of the world’s largest and most respected companies are now entering the cannabis industry.
Here are just a few of the most notable:
Microsoft
The tech giant one of the latest major companies to get involved with the cannabis industry, lending mainstream credibility to what's sure to be a booming business in the coming years.
The company is working on software that lets governments track the legal marijuana business and make sure everyone is compliant with regulations.
The service will use Microsoft's Azure government cloud platform, which has already been designed to comply with HIPPA requirements from agencies like the FDA.
This "seed to sale" software tracks marijuana plants from birth, to sales in stores.
Arrow Electronics
This Fortune 150 company will help manufacture marijuana potency analyzers. Arrow will manage the supply chain, provide manufacturing and technical support, and extend credit for a line of consumer-oriented analyzers that allow individuals to test the organic properties of food, water and air.
The sensor can be used to test cannabis flower for THC and CBD percentages, as well as more than 20 terpenes. The company said the data generated by the analyzer will provide users with “an accurate prediction of how this cannabis will make you feel and what symptoms it can potentially alleviate.”
Philips
Royal Philips of the Netherlands is a leading health and technology company with products and brands ranging from Sonicare and Norelco, to television sets, light bulbs, and coffee makers. The international giant is also quietly a big player in the cannabis industry with their Philips Rx bottles, used to contain marijuana. These popular bottles are used at marijuana dispensaries throughout America, and are well-known for their "child-resistant" features.
We imagine that Philips wants to have a hand in every aspect of their customer’s lives: from brushing their teeth and shaving each morning with Philips products, to watching a Philips television in a room illuminated with Philips lightbulbs, while enjoying a fat doobie rolled with cannabis stored in a Philips Rx container.